The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999, Rated R Paramount Home Video

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Starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, et al. Released to DVD on June 27, 2000.

Starring the quickly-distancing-himself-from-Ben-Affleck Matt Damon, The Talented Mr. Ripley follows the exploits of Tom Ripley (Damon), a bathroom attendant who, thanks to an honest misunderstanding and a few small lies, is sent to Europe by a filthy rich industrialist, Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) to bring home his incredibly hot son, Dickie (Jude Law). Minghella's film is good--well acted and directed--but his screenplay suffers from its two distinctly different halves. The first hour of the film deals with the changes occurring in Ripley's life because of his good fortune to stumble onto an all expenses paid trip to Europe. The second hour then deals with Ripley's almost sociopathic behavior; Ripley is so lonely that he begins to murder to keep his friends' attention. On their own, both parts of the film would have been interesting, but put together, there was a change in Ripley's character half way through this film that just didn't feel natural. Filled with breath takingly lovely European scenery, the parts of The Talented Mr. Ripley were very good, they just didn't add up to a whole.